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Nafs
The Quran has used this word 255 times as Nafsun 61 times, and in other forms like Anfusahun 91 times, Anfusakum 49 times, Nafsehe 40 times and Nafasun 14 times, etc.
It has numerous meanings. Taj-ul-Urus writes that this word is used normally to denote the total personality of a person. It also means intellect, knowledge and mind (Taj / Ibn-e-Faris). It is used for a person as well, e.g., J'aani-al-Maliko Benafsehee - the king came to me personally. It is further used to express greatness, superiority, courage, resolution, punishment. It also means close relative, brotherly (Taj / Lis'anul Arab). It is also used in the meaning of blood which appears after the birth of a child - Nif'asun (Taj). Nafasun also means "breath" and its plural is Anfasun. Ibn-e-Faris says that its basic meanings are light and soft air. It also means a nice thing which attracts a person.
Ta-Naffas means to breathe and Ta-Naffasa-Subho means the morning got clear / visible (81/1. An-Fuso also means brotherhood, kith and kin, and one's own self (2/84 and 2/44). The Holy Quran has also used this word for a specific thing called "Human Personality," or in Iqbal's poetry called "Khudi." It is also called "Self," or "Mind." It has been used as a special term in the Quranic concept of life which, in fact, is the basis of Deen-ul-Islam.
According to materialistic concept of life, a human being consists of body alone. He is born, brought up, eats, sleeps, falls sick, procreates and then dies. This, in fact, is animal life (47/12) for which he needs no Divine Guidance and, therefore, feels no necessity in having faith in life after death (45/34).
Against this, the other concept is that life is not only the human body, but something else too, which may be called "Self" or Nafs. This is not governed by the physical laws, nor does it become extinct with the body's death. If it is developed, it can flourish in this life and survive even after death. Therefore, it needs to be nourished, to enable it to develop according to the evolutionary process. This nourishment has to be according to the Laws given from time to time by Allah to mankind through His Anbia and now finally contained in the Holy Quran. It is, therefore, clear that if one believes in Self and its growth, one also has to believe in Allah, His Wahi, the Nubuwwat and life after death.
What is this Nafs? This can neither be perceived nor explained properly as it is not something material. In the Quran it is referred to as Roohona, i.e., Divine Energy. This thing is distinct and separate from everything else in the world. Every human action, even his thoughts affects it. It either settles into his account providing growth and development to his self, or causes its disintegration. He would see this disintegration himself on the Day of Judgement (17/14), when his roster would be flung open before him. One is not affected, nor can he be held responsible for the deeds or misdeeds of others (6/165). Every Nafs shall bear the consequences of its actions and no one can help him in any capacity. (For further explanation see verses (6/105, 10/108, 17/7-15, 27/62, 29/6, 30/44, 31/12, 35/18, 39/7, 39/41, 41/46, 45/15, 53/3. If the Nafs is not developed according to the Divine Laws, its growth is stopped and this becomes a life of Jahannam. Whereas the physical development of the human body depends entirely on its intake, the growth and development of one's self is obtainable by what a person gives to or does for other (92/16). In fact, when someone gives away to others, he is providing nourishment to his own self (2/272).
One thing should be understood clearly. This Nafs is a non-physical driving force in man it is neither good nor bad in itself. When it is used to promote higher values of humanity it becomes good and also gets nourished, but when it is used for selfish ends in disregard to the larger interests of humanity, it is bad. The Holy Quran terms it as "Hawa" which is the source of cunningness. When the emotions are kept guided by the Laws of Allah, the self of a person elevates. If the human intellect is used as directed by the Laws of Allah, his life, and in fact, the entire society, takes the shape of Jannah. Now a few words about various formations of this Nafs. When a person's ego chases baser sentiments in total disregard of a permanent value, the Quran terms it as Nafs-e-Amm'ara (12/53). And when it indulges in something bad, the self feels ashamed. This state is called Nafs-e-Lawwama (75/2). It may also be understood that Self, on its own, cannot distinguish between good and bad. This distinction is provided or laid down by Allah alone. When a person follows the Laws of the Quran the tussle between Ego and self is resolved. The Self saddles the baser desires (39/29).
When the superior Self overcomes the evil side (39/29), the Quran calls this, as An-Nafs-ul-Mutmaennah (89/27) and he enjoys the blissful life of Jannah (86/29). According to modern psychology it is called as integrated personality, and its reverse is disintegrated personality. The Nafs is free to choose anyone of these. Both the forms are referred to in verse (91/7- 10).
Elsewhere the Quran mentions that Allah imposes restrictions on human personality with the sole object of strengthening it and widening its scope (2/286). There is an important verse in Surah Zumr (39/42) explaining various forms of Nafs
"Allah suspends the Anfus (plural of Nafs) at the time of death and during sleep. He holds them back in the case of those who die and returns to the others for a determined period."
The question is what is this Nafs which is withheld in case of death, or in case of sleep, and is restored when one gets up or is awakened?
As far as the sleep is concerned, we know that a man loses nothing of his person except his consciousness - even his sub-consciousness remains with him. It, therefore, transpires that in verse (39/42), Nafs relates to the state of consciousness because it is only the consciousness that leaves a person during sleep as well as on death. When a person re-awakens from his sleep, consciousness starts its replay, while in case of death, the body and consciousness are dislodged permanently. Consequent upon the physical disintegration of a body, re-activation of consciousness is termed as the life in the Hereafter. The mode and form of this re-activation cannot be comprehended by the human being with present bounds of his perceptions. This is because, at present, the only recognition of active consciousness is inter-related with our physical body and we cannot visualise such activation independent of its physical carrier. The Quran does not throw any light on the mode and form of the re-activation in the life Hereafter, because it is beyond the present capabilities of our senses of perception and thus would not have served any useful purpose. However, the Quran has narrated it as an established fact and the followers of the Quran firmly believe in this truth which forms the very foundation of the edifice that Ad-Deen-ul-Islam builds.
[Since the subject is an important one, it would not be out of place to propound some view-points of modern psychologists in this respect-
Carl Rogers very rightly believed that "the goal an individual most wishes to achieve, the end which he knowingly and unknowingly pursues. is to become 'himself.'"
Self-knowledge or self-examination has always been of great crucial importance ever since times immemorial.
Happiness and contentment, equability of soul and meaningfulness - these can be experienced only by the individual himself. What is my goal in life? What am I striving for? What is my purpose? These are the questions which every individual asks himself at one time or the other; sometimes calmly and meditatively, sometimes in agonising uncertainty or despair. These are old old questions which have been asked and answered at various stages of human history by different philosophers, theorists, etc. Yet these are all questions which every individual must ask and answer for himself at times in his own way.
The study of self has been the nucleus and centre of research by psychologists and even philosophers since Grecian times. While they all have acknowledged its importance, they gave it different names, and different models have been evolved over centuries. Many have presented pyramidal models of achieving self-actualisation (Abraham Maslow) or the process of "individuation" (Carl Jung). Studies and researches have been carried out with different groups to study the stability of the self-concept, self-acceptance, self-ideal, self-integration (Allport) id, ego, super ego (Freud) self-extension or self-identity.
Erich Fromm said, "Man is the only animal who finds his own existence a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape."
